Synopsis

In a Tuscan hill town at the turn of the twentieth century, four young lovers flee the demands of society and become entangled in fairy magic. As Oberon and Titania wage a supernatural quarrel, Puck's enchanted flower causes romantic confusion, while an amateur theater troupe stumbles into the same forest and creates comic chaos.

Factoids & Trivia

• The decision to relocate the story from ancient Athens to Tuscany reportedly came from a dream in which Michael Hoffman imagined Puck riding on a turtle through the Tuscan countryside.

• The fictional setting of Monte Athena preserves Shakespeare's original references to Athens while surrounding the characters with turn-of-the-century bicycles, villas, vineyards, and early phonographs.

• Production took place in Italy from March 30 to May 30, 1998, using locations in Lazio and Tuscany as well as Cinecitta Studios in Rome.

• The enchanted forest was constructed on Stage Five at Cinecitta, the same studio stage associated with Federico Fellini's productions.

• The film combines Felix Mendelssohn's famous incidental music for the play with operatic selections by composers including Bellini, Verdi, Donizetti, Rossini, and Mascagni.

• The mud fight between Helena and Hermia had to be filmed twice. Preparing and cleaning the performers for the second take reportedly took four hours.

• An opening title card incorrectly refers to "the turn of the 19th century." The period shown is intended to be around 1900, or the turn of the 20th century.